ramyaramesh3007Tender, sweet, and savoury roasted char siu made with tofu served over a bed of springy noodles and homemade wontons.
Char siu noodles is a popular Cantonese dish and can be found all around Singapore. Char siu refers to barbecued pork and directly translates to “fork roast” in Cantonese, referring to the traditional method of skewering the pork and roasting it over an open flame. Back when I was not vegan, I’ve tried Char Siu Noodles maybe once or twice and my favourite flavours were the sweetness and smokiness of the meat.
Today, we’ll be making a vegan version of this amazing noodle dish. For the Char Siu, we’ll be marinating tofu in spices and sauces for 24 hours before roasting and glazing it. The noodles are tricky because yellow wonton noodles always contain egg – instead we’re using springy kolo mee which is a type of wheat noodles used in Malaysian Sarawak Kolo Mee. There are versions you can find without egg!
You can use frozen wontons or homemade wontons – both work well. I like to keep the garnish simple with some chili oil and chopped spring onions.
Ingredients You Need
- extra firm tofu – pressed and drained of excess water
- aromatics – garlic and ginger
- toasted sesame oil – for an aromatic flavour
- 5 spice powder – a blend of ground spices like star anise, cloves, cinnamon, fennel and sichuan peppercorn
- sauces – vegan hoisin sauce, vegan oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, red fermented beancurd, shao xing wine
- sweetener – agave or maple syrup
- homemade or frozen wontons
- asian greens of choice
Gluten free substitutions: Use rice noodles instead of wheat noodles. Ensure all sauces are gluten free – if not substitute with light soy sauce. Omit wontons.
Allium free substitutions: Omit minced garlic in marinade and substitute with asofoetida (hing). Omit spring onions.
Vegan Char Siu Wonton Noodle Soup
Ingredients
- 450 g extra firm tofu
- 1/2 tsp 5-spice
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp vegan hoisin sauce
- 1 tbsp vegan oyster sauce
- 1 tsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
- 2 tsp red fermented bean curd
- 1 tbsp agave or maple syrup
- 1/2 cup water
Noodle Soup
- 6 cups water
- 2 tbsp mushroom powder
- 3-4 slices ginger
- 1 tbsp shao xing wine
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp sweetener
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- salt to taste
- 4 servings noodle cakes
Toppings
- 4 servings bok choy or any other asian greens
- 12 wontons
- spring onions
- chili oil
Instructions
- Drain the tofu and press it to remove excess water (you can use a tofu press or wrap it in a clean towel and place something heavy on top for 20 minutes).
- Cut the tofu into half so you have 2 rectangular blocks. You would need about 2 tofu blocks.
- In a big glass container, combine all ingredients needed for the marinade and whisk until well combined. Place the tofu blocks in the container and coat them with the sauce evenly. Let it marinate for 24 hours for maximum flavour.
- Preheat oven to 220C. Place the tofu blocks on a baking tray with grease paper. Spoon some of the marinade over and bake for about 20 minutes, flipping halfway.
- While char siu is baking, you can make the noodle soup: add water to a pot, ginger slices and bring to a boil. Add mushroom powder, shaoxing wine, soy sauce, white pepper, sweetener, sesame oil and salt.
- Add you noodles in and cook according to package instructions. Take the noodles out, keeping the soup on flame. You can also boil the wontons in the same broth.
- Glaze the tofu with the marinade and grill for 5 minutes. Repeat this process one or 2 more times to really soak in the flavour.
- Slice the tofu char siu. Assemble noodles and pour soup over. Place tofu char siu, greens and steamed wontons. Garnish with spring onions and chili oil.